Searching his soul, Finding his heart
by Ladya C. Maxine
Summary: Rin has been abducted by a new enemy and, determined to find her, Sesshoumaru has no choice but to join forces with a certain youkai wolf prince...DISCONTINUED
1. A Pup's Paintings

Title: Searching his soul, finding his heart  
Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine  
Rating: PG-13  
Summary: Rin has disappeared, abducted by a new foe. Determined to retrieve his pup, Sesshoumaru's search takes him near the mountains where he happens upon a certain wolf prince... A Sesshoumaru/Kouga yaoi fic.  
Warning(s): yaoi, mild language, some violence

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. All unrecognizable characters belong solely to me so do not touch. I am not making any money off of this and write with the sole intention to entertain.

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"My lord, can't we take a ressst?" Jaken panted, trotting fast to keep up with the tall figure whose regal gaits lead them through the wooded area. "We have been walking sssince dawn."

The silver-haired youkai's face remained passive, as always; his golden gaze fixed indifferently on the forest road that lay before them. The cool breeze stirred the soft fur of his tail, brushing it against his cheek though he didn't even blink.

Grumbling miserably, the small toad demon fell silent, gripping his staff in one small, gnarled hand while tugging at the reigns of his lord's beast, the two-headed youkai choosing to be somewhat stubborn on this day, stopping to look around or to simply rest on the ground.

They had spent the night in a small clearing on the outer borders of the mountain realm however before the first ray even peaked from behind the mountain ranges they had been awoken by the lord youkai. Jaken hadn't requested an explanation for the early departure since he was still nursing a sore spot on his head where his lord had struck him yesterday when he had scolded that little brat of a mortal for being too loud.

Speaking of which, why was it so quiet and he, despite his weariness, so at peace?

Looking around for the bumbling lump of flesh with a mouth, he felt a jolt of joy for the first time that day when he didn't see her. She had been sitting on the beast's back but the saddle was now empty. Could it be that a higher power had finally heard his prayers?

"Or maybe she wandered off and got her foolish self lost," he mused quietly, not wanting to alert his lord of the child's disappearance. Perhaps, after they have reached a far enough distance, Lord Sesshoumaru would not bother with going back to look for her!

Unfortunately for Jaken, his lord had indeed heard his soft spoken words.

Silently, he looked over at his loyal steed which stood bare-backed. His Rin was no longer on the beasts back where he had left her. However, he could still smell her mortal scent which meant that she must have wandered off into the trees.

"Perhaps ssshe found sssomeone of her own kind," Jaken offered hopefully, still praying that they could rid themselves of her despite Lord Sesshoumaru's discovery. "Or maybe ssshe encountered another pack of wolvesss--Ai!!"

Ignoring the cry of pain from his servant, who now rubbed a new lump on his head, Sesshoumaru re-sheeted his sword.

"Find her."

"B-but my lord...." He faltered when the amber eyes narrowed ever so slightly at his loitering. Bowing, he started to retrace their path, grumbling to himself.

"Ssstupid girl! Dissrupting the great Lord Sessshoumaru with her foolissshnesss. Making me go looking for her and holding usss up. Rotten, little--"

"Jaken-sama!"

"ACK!!" 

Sesshoumaru remained emotionless when the unsuspecting Jaken was suddenly burdened with an armful of the pup, causing them both to land in a cloud of dust. His pup giggled as she sat on the only member of their group who was smaller than her, now sprawled out beneath her.

"Rin win! Rin win!"

"Get off me, you little bundle of misery!"

Giggling, she hopped off the dazed toad. Seeing the tall figure of her guardian, she smiled wider and started skipping towards him, clutching a small bouquet of flowers she had just recently picked.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Lookie!"

He calmly watched as she ran over, black hair swinging and bouncing with each step. His expression didn't change even when she halted a few inches before him, craning her neck back to look up into his face. The flowers were presented with eager eyes.

"Rin pick them for Sesshoumaru-sama. They smell nice."

When he made no move to take them, she stood on her tiptoes and tucked them into the elaborate yellow sash he always wore around his armoured waist, securing them in between the two swords' pommels.

"Pretty," she beamed.

Looking at the bright pink petals which contrasted starkly with his dark armour, he blinked and stared back down at her expecting gaze.

"Do not stray again," he warned softly, his elaborate tail swirling behind him as he turned and continued on without another word.

Not many seconds passed before he heard the small pitter-patter of her bare feet as she ran up next to him. He disciplined his natural venom flow beforehand since he already knew what was to come next. Sure enough, he felt a tiny hand take hold of his own, her soft skin coming in dangerous proximity with his lethal claws.

Physical contact was something he had always avoided, except when in battle. It had taken him some days to adjust to his pup's hands-on presence. Though Jaken was, luckily, Rin's first choice as a playmate, running after the screaming toad and pestering him for the greater part of their journey, she was very fond of holding her lord's hand or hugging him or playing with his tail, though the latter still irritated him at times.

His Rin had been with them for almost a month and, as a natural loner, he had at first kept his distance from her, merely feeding her and ensuring that she remained out of trouble. Already such actions had been very unlike him. However, though his outer facade was as emotionless as ever, he had slowly started to tolerate her, even care for her. He soon found himself punishing Jaken whenever he would berate the little mortal.

Now, he felt extremely protective over his Rin. His pup.

"Where is Sesshoumaru-sama taking Rin and Jaken-sama?"

"Don't bother Lord Sesshoumaru with your petty quessstionsss, girl," Jaken, shaking the dirt out of his kimono, snapped, catching up with them and walking on the other side of the silent youkai. Behind them, the beast loyally followed. "He hasss more important--"

"We travel to the mountain path."

"Yay!" Rin cheered while Jaken fumed. His lord, who he had served loyally for many years, answered a mere child and not him.

His opinion on the matter wasn't brought forward, though, as Rin dodged before Sesshoumaru, grabbing the small frog demon in a choking embrace. Recoiling in her arms, he immediately started to struggle, mindful not to hurt her since his lord would do the same to him though much more painfully.

"Jaken-sama and Rin race Sesshoumaru-sama to the mountains!"

With that, she took off, running down the path, her laugher drowning out Jaken's loud cursing as he bounced along in her arms, arms and legs failing in a vain attempt to find unmoving ground. Not sensing any immediate danger in the area, he left the girl to her antics. It also ridded him of Jaken's endless gibbering for some time. As loyal as the toad was, his constant talking had a negative effect on the youkai lord who preferred silence.

She was small, as was her progress, so his pace didn't change. However, he gave his steed a single side-ward glance and with an obedient snort, it lumbered off after the two to keep its twin pair of eyes on them. Up ahead, he heard Jaken's desperate shouts.

"Let go!! Ai, damn it!! Ouch!! Ssstupid little..."

Keeping in mind to 'discus' Jaken's choice of words when around his pup, Sesshoumaru's thoughts were interrupted when his nostrils flared slightly, catching on to a scent that had not been there before; one that he didn't like though its origin was not familiar to him.

Halting once more, he calmly regarded his surroundings but his ears and eyes could detect nothing threatening. Still, a clawed hand drifted to his fighting sword's hilt, its leather binding hissing softly as a single drop of venom leaked from one of his razor sharp claws.

Nothing stirred around him and after a few moments he was about to dismiss it when it came again, fainter this time. Whatever it was was moving away from his position. 

'Strange...and challenging.'

Up ahead, he heard a loud thud, particularly loud cursing from Jaken and Rin crying. The smell of stirred dirt and fresh blood was all he needed to know that his pup had tripped and hurt herself. Her injuries were no doubt minimal; as she had most likely landed on Jaken, breaking her fall, and her light weight couldn't bring much damage to his toad servant. Regretfully.

Rin's cries grew louder and he felt a stir of discomfort, something extremely rare, in him. Alone, he wouldn't have cared less to face whatever it was that still lurked beyond his keen sight in the trees. However, this unidentified being posed a threat to his pup and he felt the urge to get her as far away from this area as possible.

'Consider yourself fortunate,' he send his thoughts out to this invisible threat before making his way to where Rin's cries still rang out, his pace somewhat quickened this time.

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"Clumsssy little oaf...ssstupid retarded mortal..."

Jaken sat on a rock, muttering to himself as he bandaged his scrapes and cuts, which were quite deep since he had taken the full force of Rin's trip. Somehow, the foolish girl had missed seeing the branch that lay quite openly in the middle of the road. His ears still rang from her screeching; all she had gotten was a small scrape on her knee and still she insisted on making a scene of it.

"...jusst wantsss attention..."

From where he sat leaning against the massive trunk of a tree while cleaning his swords, Sesshoumaru paid no attention to the bruised and battered toad's mumbling, his mind once more elsewhere in solemn contemplation. This had been the safest place to stop for the night but he remained vigilant.

The moon shone high above them in the velvety dark-blue skies, its silver light sparkling across the clearing's jaded green grass. A small fire crackled within its temporary pit, above its flames a fish that Rin had caught in a nearby creel for her dinner. She had learned from early on that while travelling with them anything she needed she had to get herself. Except for red meat; she usually got that from him when he hunted since she was too small to hunt anything down herself.

His pup's scent alerted him and he looked up to find her standing before him, holding a sheet of paper. She had been silent for the past hour, content with lying next to his steed and drawing her childish pictures with the inks he had given her, which he had gotten from the pack of the child he had slain, along with the boy's small travelling family, a few weeks ago. He didn't normally eat mortal flesh, but the pickings had been slim and he hadn't eaten for some time.

"For Sesshou-sama," she beamed, holding the drawing out proudly.

He had learned that with his pup, things were never really clear. This included the drawing she waved before his face. Splatters and crooked lines in bright colours shone wetly in the moonlight, portraying something that only her young eyes and mind could see.

"Like it?" she asked when he said nothing.

"What is it?" he inquired, still unable to decipher the strange image on the paper.

"Us." Mindful of the razor-sharp blade of his sword, she climbed into his lap, settling back into the fluff of his tail. With a small finger, she pointed out.

"This one is Sesshoumaru-sama."

Actually curious, he studied the stick figure which had been drawn with a long...thing...he could only assume to be his tail. A small green stump beside him with a brown stripe was Jaken.

"Where are you?"

"Here."

'Rin' was a few blotches of black, for her hair, which he at first had thought to be his armour but now proved to be her painted in his arms.

"I wanted to paint Ah and Un, but I have no more green paint. I use it all to draw Jaken-sama." Leaning in in conspiracy, she whispered, "He's fatter than he looks."

He simply stared at her, well understanding the humour behind her words but not showing any on his face. Years of solitude had deprived him of much emotions and he liked it that way. Though having a pup now had brought on an emotion he hadn't felt for most of his life; caring. Despite her proud face, her eyes were drooping with sleep.

"Get your rest."

She smiled and nodded silently. Crawling off his lap, she placed her drawing on the soft grass, weighing down the edges with stones to allow it to dry. Satisfied, she then climbed over his tail and nuzzled against his side, sleepily rubbing her eyes. When she had finally settled in, he wrapped his tail around her to protect her from the night chill. She sighed in content and buried her face in the soft fur and soon drifted off to sleep.

He watched her as she slept, face serene.

He had encountered many mortal cubs during his life and they had all suffered the same fate as the adults. Regardless of age, a mortal was a weakling, and he abhorred weakness. Mortals were pathetic; their life spans were ridiculously short, their bodies held no strength, they had no powers whatsoever to speak of, and in general he found them to be not very intelligent.

And yet, however, though all of this applied to his Rin too, he didn't care. He had never used the sword given to him by his father before, and yet, despite all the deaths he had experience, he had used it to bring her to life.

Only her.

His Rin.

His pup.

She stirred in her sleep and he absently placed a robed arm around her, listening as she mumbled softly, the words 'help' and 'wolf' the most repeated. She still had those nightmares. Her experience of death at the jaws of the wild canines was one that not even Tenseiga's powers could rectify.

He had spent the past nights watching out over their camp and despite the pure youkai blood that flowed through his veins he too needed a few hours of respite. Assured that his sharp senses would easily detect the smallest disturbance, he rested his head back against the tree behind him, one arm around his pup while the other rested lightly on the hilt of his sword.

Slowly, he drifted off to sleep.

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He knew not how long he had been asleep but his eyes suddenly flew open and he sat up.

The moon was low in the sky as sunrise was but a couple of hours away. The camp was silent; his steed rested sound fully near the smouldering ashes of the fire and he could see the small huddled form of Jaken nearby.

And yet, something was most definitely wrong. It took him no longer than a second to know what.

'Rin…'

She was gone, as if having been swallowed up by the night.

tbc..............

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Read & Review, please.


	2. Losing Rin

Title: Searching his soul, Finding his heart  
Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine  
Rating: PG-13  
Summary: see chapter one.  
Warning(s): see chapter one  
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. All unrecognizable characters belong solely to me and are not to be touched. I am not making any money off of this and I write with the sole intention to entertain.

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_'Rin!'_

He looked around him in hopes that she had probably just moved in her sleep, something she did a lot due to her nightmares. Shifting his tail should she have crawled beneath its furry mass, he growled when his search of the immediate area came up empty handed.

Rising to his feet in a fluent motion, he sniffed at the air. Nothing.

It was too early for her to have woken up and even then she knew she was not allowed to wander off during the nights, especially not alone. No, she hadn't strayed. Something had come to them. But what could have possibly evaded his high youkai senses without him knowing? Not even Naraku with his many appearances could pull off such a stunt.

He rounded the fire, coming to stand over Jaken who didn't stir, snoring softly as he lay curled up around the two-headed staff of his.

"Jaken, wake up," he growled, still looking around to catch a glimpse of his missing pup. When no response came from his servant he looked down, irritated.

"Jaken!"

Still, the toad kept on sleeping.

Removing his sword, he landed a solid blow on the bald, green head of the toad with the blunt edge. To his surprise, Jaken simply rolled over, falling into an even deeper sleep.

_'What is wrong with the fool?'_ he questioned himself, looking over to where his steed too was still fast asleep. The trusty beast was always up the moment his master was. Yet now, like Jaken, it slumbered on, both heads lying on the soft grass a few feet from the burning fire.

Golden eyes narrowed when he took note of something unusual; the fire. It was still burning. They'd always let it burn down during the night but now its flames were as bright as the day past. Now that he noticed it, the same faint scent from yesterday hung in the air, barely detectable for even his own youkai senses. And it was coming from the flames.

Walking over, he looked down into the orange light at the core. Indeed, new logs had been added, along with something else. A branch from a tree he knew could not be native in these parts. Spearing it with the tip of his sword, he lifted it out of the fire and studied the slender limb. 

Not a charred spot on it, its leaves were still their original colour; a vibrant purple with green edges. Pulling it off Toukijin, he wasn't surprised to find it only slightly warm to the touch. Pulling off a purple leaf, he brought it to his nose and immediately turned his head when its scent made itself known.

"Silver plum." How could he have not recognized it yesterday? This explained everything.

The infamous trees, found only in the highest ranges of mountain terrain, were fabled to have brought many unfortunate mortals to their demise. When inhaled, its fumes slowly ate away at one's mind and body, first bringing on agonizing hours of fever and pain and then a slow death. Many mortals have tried to destroy the deadly trees but were overcome by its fumes before they could even strike it with their axes. Fire, as proven, had no effect on it either.

While mortals died from it, it had a much lesser effect on youkai's. The gravest thing that could happen was an unnaturally deep sleep that lasted for weeks. This seemed to be the case with Jaken and his steed. Both had been sleeping rather close to the fire and had inhaled more of it. Having sat farther away from the flames, and being a much more powerful youkai, Sesshoumaru had merely gone into a deeper sleep than usual.

_'Yet it was enough for them to take my Rin.'_

With a feral growl, he crushed the thick branch into mere powder before tossing it away in agitation.

**_No one_** took anything from the Lord of the Western lands. Especially not something he prized as much as his pup.

Up until that moment, his main goal had been to kill his foolish half-breed brother and claim Tesseiga as his own once and for all. Though his want for the all-powerful sword was great, his want for his pup was even greater.

While he didn't care much what would happen to Jaken, he assured himself that his steed would be safe here. He didn't know how long it would take for the sleep to wear off but judging by the situation he knew it would possibly take up to five weeks. Still, despite the distance, his loyal beast always knew where to find him. Jaken, being the little coward that he was, would tag along.

Rin's abductors were most likely from the mountains since they obviously knew how to use the silver plum to their advantage. The closest mountain ranges were several days walk from his location and there was no telling if that was where his Rin had been taken, but he had to risk it.

Something rustled on the pre-dawn breeze and he looked up in time to see a thin, white object fluttering past him. He caught it with flawless reflexes and looked upon it.

His pup's painting. The one she had drawn just last night. He could still smell her scent on it. He could still hear her voice explaining it to him. 

Mindful not to tear, or burn, the fragile parchment with his claws, he folded and tucked it into his kimono, needing something that was hers with him until he got her back. Which he would, no matter what. Along with her drawing, he placed kept the leaf too, it being the only clue he had as to where he might find her.

Swords fastened and mind set, he gave the two slumbering demons one last glance before turning and sprinting of at unbelievable speed through the trees, eyes almost glowing as he began his quest to find his Rin.

It was cold. Too cold.

In fact, it felt like the time she had accidentally fallen into the icy river when they had been crossing a footbridge a couple of weeks ago. She had had no choice but to remove her wet clothes and had sat shivering miserably in a thin blanket close to the fire in hopes of finding some warmth, with little success. Until Sesshoumaru-sama had, unexpectedly, sat down next to her and wrapped her in his fluffy tail, the thick fur warming her small body rapidly as he held her close to him, long hair falling forward to tickle her face.

Now, whimpering softly, she sleepily groped around with a hand for the downy texture of her lord's tail, but her hand fell upon nothing but cold, hard stone. She shifted in her sleep, trying to find the familiar scent of her Sesshoumaru-sama's robes but that too was gone. 

"Sesshoumaru-sama...," she uttered softly. He would always stroke her hair at this, reassuring her that he was still there, like a silent guardian angel she had heard the village folk talk about.

Nothing happened at first and she started to squirm but then froze when, instead of her lord's smooth fingertips or tender claws, something coarse brushed against her cheek. Opening a sleepy eye, she groggily turned over. And released a loud yelp.

Looking down at her was a long-faced man with a shabby beard and beady black eyes. Long ears, bearing many rings, hung down behind massive horns, one of which had a jagged tip as if it had broken off, that were each thicker than both her arms put together. He was really tall and really muscular, his arms and legs bulging beneath his worn clothes. He was a demon. That much was obvious from the combined features of 'human' and beast, in his case a mountain goat.

Squealing in fright, she scooted away until her back was against the wall, breathing heavily. Fully awake, she realized she was in a large and dank cave, the only light being a small hole high above her head where the sunlight poured through.

The demon remained where he was though snorted in disgust as he wiped his hand, which he had touched her with, off on his somewhat tattered clothes which looked to have been made out of several pieces of garment sewn together. Badly beaten armour clung to his chest and over his shoulders. Twin plates of metal also embraced his abnormally muscled calves.

"Oi, Krisga, the runt is up!" he called back to someone.

There came a clopping sound and another demon came into view, this one a foot shorter than his companion and lanky instead of burly. He looked less shabby than the first, garbed in clothes of a better state, though he looked much more lethal. Claws much longer than Sesshoumaru-sama's clutched a long-handled double-edged axe and twin horns grew from the back of his head, curving up and forward to frame his narrow face, which resembled more a goat than his companion's, with gleaming tips. A single tuff of hair sprouted from his pointed chin which he stroked with his other clawed hand as he studied the small girl before him.

"I told you that you used too much sleeping powder. Had she died from overdosing it would have been our heads that would have been brought to the chieftain on a platter." His voice was somewhat hoarse and had an occasional CLICK as his many needle-like teeth gnashed wetly.

"But she isn't dead, so quit your mecking," Maviku growled, clenching his fist and teeth.

Ignoring the bigger male, Krisga walked over and Rin could see that it were his feet that made the clopping sound, being bare and hoofed like that of a mountain goat. Her eyes travelled back up to his long face when he came to stand over her, studying her.

"Are you sure that this is her? After all, you follow orders like a mortal follows its nose."

"Shut your mouth. She was with him," Maviku grumbled.

Scowling at the bigger male, he then reached out a clawed hand and grabbed a handful of her hair, turning her head this way and that, not caring that his wicked claws left long red lines on her face and neck.

"Yes, this is her. At least you can follow simple orders."

"There's nothing simple about taking something from a youkai lord who could have easily torn me to shreds had I not used to proper amount of sliver plum."

Releasing her face roughly, leaving a deeper slash on her neck in the process and throwing her back, Krisga stood, narrow face twisted in disgust as he wiped his hands off like Maviku had.

"Tie her. It's a long way back and the last thing we need is for her to escape and get lost in the labyrinths. Chieftain wants her as soon as possible."

Rin had no time to react when her arms were painfully pulled behind her back and tied together by the wrists with coarse rope which immediately scratched at her skin, feeling very uncomfortable and itchy. Her ankles received similar treatment. An equally unpleasant strip of cloth was stuffed in her mouth and tied behind her head. She was then roughly slung over a broad shoulder, the demon's armour poking her torso irritatingly. It turned painful when he started walking, causing her to bounce slightly on his shoulder.

Twisting in his grip, she looked over her shoulder to see that they were heading into a tunnel she hadn't seen before. Once reached, it turned out to be an extremely steep stairwel; the steps roughly hacked out of the black stone and too narrow for normal feet to stand on. But the demon's hoofed feet easily balanced as they started down, their footsteps clopping loudly in the stale air.

"How do we know that youkai lord will come here?" Maviku asked his lanky partner. "If he doesn't come after her, can we eat her?"

Smirking at the little girl's fearful squeak, Krisga shrugged.

"Oh, he'll come. As for what happens afterwards, that depends on Chieftain. We only need her to bring Sesshoumaru to us. Once we have him she will be of no more use to us."

"I hope so," Maviku grinned dangerously as they made their way deeper into the mountain. "Mortal flesh is so tender and sweet and we hardly get any so high in these mountains."

Blinking away fearful tears, Rin craned her neck upwards to see the only light from the cavern above slowly fading. She tried struggling, to wriggle free of the demon's hold, but was rewarded with cruel pinch on her outer thigh as a warning. She reluctantly fell silent, watching as the light finally disappeared, leaving them in complete darkness as they made their way deeper into the mountain's interior.

_'Sesshoumaru-sama, where are you...?'_

tbc.........

Read & Review, please.


	3. First Meeting

Title: Searching his soul, Finding his heart  
Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine  
Rating: PG-13  
Summary: see chapter one  
Warning(s): see chapter one  
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. All unrecognizable characters belong solely to me and so do not touch. I am not making any money off of this and I write with the sole intention to entertain.

-------------------------------------------------

She didn't know for how long or far they travelled but Maviku suddenly stopped and with a grunt he simply allowed her to slip off his shoulder, dropping her carelessly. She was fortunate to avoid breaking her neck but the stone ground was unrelenting and she landed with a pain filled squeak which was muffled by the gag. Breathing heavily, she trembled as wave upon wave of excruciating pain washed over her body, begging silently for it to be over.

"Be careful you oaf!" Krisga snapped, slapping the other over his head, long claws tearing the skin. "We need her alive."

Maviku snarled, rubbing his bleeding head.

"Dead or alive, he'll follow her scent and wouldn't know the difference."

"Chieftain wants her at least alive. You can have your fun later. Get a fire going," Krisga, who turned out to be of a higher authority, ordered, taking a seat on a boulder. Folding his hoofed feet, he started to sharpen his claws on the stone, making a teeth-gritting sound.

Growling but knowing better than to cross his superior, Maviku clomped off to find wood, though how he would accomplish that in the pure stone caverns was beyond her.

The side that she had landed on still throbbed painfully and she knew that it was already badly bruised. Ever so slowly, and with much difficulty, she raised herself, resting on her scraped elbows to look around.

They were going deeper into the mountain's stone, that much she was able to figure out while listening to the constant bickering between the two males, who, despite being 'partners', seemed to aggravate one another a lot. They had travelled downwards, via more steep steps or, in certain areas, jumping down completely vertical cliffs, using their hoofed feet to easily land and balance on the small ledges here and there. Maviku had had a great time pretending to accidentally drop her, going so far as actually throwing her off his shoulder and letting her free fall some fifty feet in pure terror before catching up with her, with lighting swiftness, and painfully catching her. Krisga had found it no more amusing than she had and with a feral growl he had put an end to the other's play.

With her aggressor now gone, she tried to inch her way towards the narrow path they had just come from, wriggling on her elbows on the damp ground. Her slow progress was brought to a startling halt when the huge blade of an axe buried itself but a foot from her face, almost slicing off her tied hands. A tearing pain ran down her back as a clawed hand grabbed hold of the back of her now filthy kimono.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Krisga growled, his breath hot and foul, stinging the thin but swollen welts on her face caused earlier by his own claws. More foul air left his fanged mouth when her response was muffled by the gag.

"Well, I suppose I could remove that. No one will hear your screams so deep within the mountains," he proposed, head cocked to one side, gold earrings clinkling in his goat-like ears.

She flinched when her face was once more scraped by his claws which roughly yanked the gag off. The edges of her mouth burned and the rancid taste was still on her tongue, but she was grateful. Somewhat.

"P-p-please...l..let R-Rin go..."

"Now why should I after we have gone through so much trouble to get Rin?" he pointed out, clearly enjoying this.

"S-S-Sesshoumaru-sama i-is going t-to be wor-woried," she stuttered, blinking against his breath.

He tsk-tsk'ed, giving her an almost sympathetic look.

"Poor, poor little mortal. Now what makes you think that the great lord youkai of the Western lands would come looking for you?" While brute force was something his partner practised the most, his tactic was based more of mind games.

"Isn't t-that why you t-t-took Rin? To g-get Sesshoumaru-s-sama?"

"Yes, but he isn't coming for you. He's coming because he is angry. He cares only for his pride which had been injured; him having been robbed of his possession. Personally, he doesn't care for you. Only avenging himself."

"That's n-not true!" she gasped. Sesshoumaru-sama liked her...didn't he?

"If you say so," he shrugged uncaringly. "However, I find it strange that I, a complete stranger, can see this while you, who supposedly know him better, can't."

Yanking his axe out of the stone with surprising strength despite his slender arms, he dragged her over to where he had been sitting and roughly shoved her down before taking his spot on the top once more, now polishing his axe with the cloth they had gagged her with.

Grateful that he was no longer touching her, Rin slumped back against the stone, dark bruises burning at the contact. Wincing, she tried to think of a way out of this all but his words kept on returning:

'...he isn't coming for **you**....he doesn't care for you...'

_'He's lying. Sesshou-sama is on his way to save Rin. He likes Rin.'_

She was once again startled when the loud sound of falling sticks echoed through the cavern. Maviku had returned and dropped his load of firewood on the ground. They must have a storage area somewhere beyond her vision.

"Can you be any louder?" Krisga growled irritably.

Grumbling words that not even Jaken used, Maviku snorted, long nostrils flaring before he hunched down to start the fire, beady black eyes reflecting the red flames as they sprung up from the dry wood. The glowing red eyes met hers and he grinned evilly, sending a shiver down her bruised spine.

Curling in on herself subconsciously for protection, she buried her face in her arms, sobbing softly.

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Every youkai and beast in the woods stopped their activities, freezing in their tracks, heads raised and alert as they smell his approach. The scent of his death-promising anger was all they needed to run, fleeing into the trees and shadows, out of the path of the youkai lord who moved with such speed that he looked to be flying, long white hair billowing behind him with his tail as his long legs covered great distance.

He had been running without rest for three days and already he could see the river that served as a border for the mountain realm, the mountains growing taller as he neared them with great speed.

One unfortunate beast was foolish enough to remain where it stood in the path, even daring him by growling as he neared. With a mere swipe of his claws he reduced it to but a quivering mass of flesh and bones that rapidly faded from view as he ran on.

Picking up even more speed, he cleared the wide river, easily leaping over the rushing water.

Finally, he was in the forest which belonged to the mountains.

He halted, breathing as even as in sleep and not a sign of fatigue on him. His tail, which had trailed behind him like a great banner, wrapped itself once more over a shoulder and his eyes, which had been glowing red for the past hours, lightened to their original cold golden gaze.

Before him, the forest was silent, all its beasts hidden from view. He could smell them and a few wide eyes peered at him from all around but he couldn't care less, his mind now formulating what to do next.

He had reached the mountains, but what now? Once he got to the higher planes of the mountain terrains the hundreds, if not thousands, of silver-plum trees would easily over-power any signs of his pup. It could take him weeks to search the entire area by simply looking without any leads.

He growled at this. He would not leave her in her captors' hands for so long. Something was sure to hint him off once he reached a certain spot.

As he walked down the path he could hear the footfalls of the creatures as they scattered. The air reeked with the stench of fear and cowardice.

_'Simple minded fools,'_ he thought to himself, shutting them out as he scanned the area. His nose was assailed by the hundreds of smells from the woods.

Still, he easily detected as, while most smells faded as their owners ran from him, one scent grew stronger. Sniffing softly, he was able to tell that it was actually the scent of many travelling in a group.

_'Wolves.'_

Not caring, he kept on walking, the canines not even on his mind.

A howl broke through the air, followed by another. And another. Soon, the entire forest practically shook with the powerful sounds. Their scents were as strong as ever and he could see their glowing eyes around him, their bodies remaining in the shadows as they followed him just beyond the path.

Indifferent as always, he returned to his task, sniffing the air as he hoped to detect a whiff of his pup's scent or hear something that could be her voice.

Confused but not deterred by their prey's calm, the wolves stalked onto the path, emerging from beneath bushes and behind trees, snouts wrinkled and jaws frothing with saliva as they snapped their teeth, sending the thick substance flying. Within a span of a few seconds their number had grown to around thirty, all none too pleased with his presence, though they kept their distance as they knew enough to recognize this to be a demon lord, similar to their own master.

Sesshoumaru regarded the beasts.

Something smelled **_very_** familiar. He knew these wolves, or at least the pack they belonged to. He had smelled them before...when he had found the lifeless body of the small girl he had taken in as his pup. It had been these fell things that had so brutally slain her.

Suddenly, one of the wolves and lunged, jaws snapping and aiming for his throat. It never came within four feet as with a wide swipe of his acid spewing claws, he slashed it to strips of flesh, bone and fur that landed with sickening noises before the paws of the remaining canines, who backed off, unsure but still unrelenting in their stance.

_'I should kill them,'_ he contemplated. _'Kill them like they had killed my Rin, a mere pup who they would have devoured her within minutes had I not rescued her.' _

The wolves and the forest around them started to turn red as his demon nature heartedly agreed with his mind. He needed to vent out his concern, anger and frustration on something anyways.

However, his revenge was never carried out as a strong gust of wind broke his train of thoughts. Looking down the path before him, he watched as something was swiftly approaching them. The wolves seemed to know it and they howled in welcome.

He regarded the excited canines before his eyes slid indifferently back to the swirling vortex of air and dust that sped towards them. Through the flying debris, he detected a strong scent that could only be from another demon of a high position and power.

A clawed hand rested calmly on Toukijin as he watched unflinching as the tornado thundered some feet before him. Coming to a halt, the winds started to relent. Along with the gales, the debris lessened, falling back to the forest floor from which they had been stirred.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes slightly when the youkai whose scent he smelled slowly faded into view as the dust settled. A strong, yet arrogant, voice spoke up, blue eyes equally narrowed and arms crossed before an armoured chest.

"Touch one more of my clan and I will personally de-claw you."

tbc...............

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Read & Review, please.


	4. First Impact

Title: Searching his soul, Finding his heart  
Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine  
Rating: PG-13  
Summary: see chapter one  
Warning(s): see chapter one  
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. Any and all unrecognizable characters belong solely to me and are not to be touched. I am not making any money off of this and I write with the sole intention to entertain.

A/N: Just a little something I feel I should mention (in case some of you haven't guessed yet): Sesshoumaru has **_both_** arms in this fic. No way in hell I'm gonna leave him running about with his fine self with only one arm! Nope, Inuyasha never cut off his arm in my stories.

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Kouga's memory was, admittedly, not his sharpest point, but something about this demon seemed very familiar to him. Had they met before? On whose side was this one on?

His eyes drifted down to the shredded remains of his former pet. What had once been a wolf was now an unidentifiable heap of flesh and fur. A strong acidy scent hung over the torn carcass. Around it, its brethren whimpered mournfully, turning to him for support.

"Return to the den. I will deal with this," he said softly, eyes fixing once more on the other. His pets looked uncertain to leave him alone with the intruder but finally obeyed, disappearing into the trees with small barks and yips.

His attention now fully focused on the youkai before him, Kouga growled.

"How dare you slay such a magnificent creature as a wolf?"

Sesshoumaru merely regarded the demon. He remembered this one, the wolf 'prince' who had appeared with his useless self during their battle with the cat clan. He didn't know his name, and neither did he care for it. He did know about the Shikon shards in both legs which gifted the wolf demon with great speed and strength. Intellect, on the other hand...

Meanwhile, flashes of memories came back to Kouga. They were fast and brief but he recalled those cold golden eye and indifferent face. An aura of calm and death glowed from within this demon. And the scent; strong and noble.

"Are you a mute?" he asked, covering up his confusion. "Speak up!"

When the dog demon remained silent he snarled.

"Well then, I'll just have to beat it out of you!"

Sesshoumaru blinked half interested when the demon seemed to just disappear from the path before him. His speed was indeed impressive. However...

"Hya!!" Kouga shouted victoriously, coming up from behind the white-haired youkai. With a move quicker than lightning, he swung his fist forward, and it connected with solid...air?!

"What the...!"

Landing in a crouch, he spun around to find the dog demon a good ten feet from where he had last been standing. How on earth had he evaded the attack? No matter. Kouga truly doubted he could do it again. With a feral growl, he lunged at the stranger, striking out with such speed that his fists blurred together, disappearing from sight.

Nevertheless, Sesshoumaru dodged them with the simplest of ease. This demon's fighting technique was rather similar to that hanyou's; brute force, but no strategy. The wolf was punching blindly as if hoping that he would miscalculate and step in front of a fist. Sesshoumaru had learned years ago that timing was the key if you wanted to win a battle.

_'Damn it! I haven't landed a single blow!'_

Kouga cursed in disbelief. Here he was, punching with the speed and strength that would have killed off an entire village by now but the dog youkai wasn't even breaking a sweat. If anything, he looked bored, gracefully stepping from left to right, cold eyes trained on his dispassionately.

He didn't have time for this. His Rin needed him.

Matching the wolf's speed, he reached out with a clawed hand and grabbed hold of a wrist that was just flying past his face. He smirked inwardly at the obvious surprise on the other's face as he held the wrist captive in a vice-grip. His other hand travelled to the hilt of his sword; he would at least make this swift.

Kouga realized the other's intentions and after some rapid thinking he turned to his strength rather than speed and with a loud growl he grounded himself and threw his weight backwards, lifting the dog demon off his feet and sending him over his head. His triumphant grin melted off his face when the white-haired youkai seemed to have anticipated this move and, using his own skills, he kept going, landing neatly on both feet and propelling Kouga over his head, slamming him down into the earth with enough force to create a noticeable crater.

The air was knocked out of him and Kouga hissed as the unprotected area between his upper shoulder blades connected with what felt like a rock.

"Kuso!" he snarled, wincing at the sudden pain.

Everything fell silent around him and he slowly started to rise but his movement was stopped by a knee that planted itself on his chest, driving him back into the ground.

Groaning anew, he blearily opened his eyes, blinking as he tried to focus his blurred vision. Something cold and sharp pressed up against his throat and he froze. He slowly looked up to find the dog demon leaning over him, the youkai's knee purposefully placing more pressure, making the rock dig deeper into the hollow between Kouga's shoulder blades, just below his neck.

Sesshoumaru watched the pitiful wolf with indifference. He never did anything simply for the greater good but he felt that he would be do the world a grand favour by slaying this one. He flexed his wrist, ready to slice the wolf's head clean off his shoulders.

Kouga felt the shift. However, instead of closing his eyes in defeat, he glared up at the dog demon; he would not go out as a coward. He would look this one in the eyes until the last of his blood had drained from his dead corpse!

The narrowing of the bright blue eyes intrigued him. This wolf was...challenging him? They both knew that he had the upper hand yet the wolf was obviously going to go down with his honour.

_'Curse this foolish being and his honour. Rin is all that matters to me.'_

He leaned in, boldly returning the other's glare. Their faces were but inches apart but neither looked away. He placed more pressure on his sword and smelled the tangy scent of blood as the razor sharp blade broke a thin layer of skin on the wolf's neck. Just a little more force and...

Kouga blinked when a light sparked in those golden eyes. It was barely noticeable but he saw it. The face before him remained indifferent yet the eyes spoke of realization.

_'What's up with this guy?'_

That scent. It was over layered by the wolf's masculine scent and his blood, and extremely faint, but it was on him. A sweet smell that he had come to known just recently. Silver plum. This wolf had been in the vicinity of some. However, his Rin's scent was not on him so he couldn't have been the abductor. Still...

Kouga watched with extreme distrust as a clawed hand dipped into the dark armour that encased the other's chest. A second later it re-emerged, holding something between the pointy claws. A sharp smell hit his sensitive nose and he stiffened.

"Where did you get that?" he growled, eyeing the single leaf suspiciously.

"Where can I find more?" Sesshoumaru countered, ignoring the other's question.

For the first time since their meeting the dog demon had spoken and Kouga was surprised to hear how deep and velvety the voice was. This one was definitely of royal blood; his voice carried a tone of one who was used to ordering other around.

"Why should I tell you? You obviously know these mountains well enough to find a silver plum of such potency."

Now that he knew that wolf had some knowledge of the area he momentarily dropped the desire to slash his throat open. Instead, he placed more pressure on the other's already bruising upper spine.

"Where?" he repeated.

Kouga hissed as he felt the rock press against the bone, causing more pain than a sword wound. Still, he wasn't going to cave in to this bastard.

"Tell me why you want to know, and I will tell you what I know."

Though the wolf didn't seem to notice it yet, Sesshoumaru could see that the blue eyes were slowly starting to glaze over as the intense pressure on the wolf's spine was beginning to take its toll on the stubborn creature. Had it been any other case he wouldn't have cared less but this wolf was the only thing he had at the moment that would lead him to his Rin.

Pausing for a few more seconds, he growled softly and, re-sheeting his sword, he stood, taking his weight off of the other youkai.

The moment he felt the weight lift off him Kouga quickly rolled to his feet, biting down the pained groan as the action caused a searing pain to run down his spine. Still, he hid his discomfort and watched the dog youkai warily.

"You said this leaf came from a very potent tree. Where do I find them?"

"Why do you ask?"

"That is none of your concern."

Forcing down another growl, he looked through wild, dark bangs at the demon whose golden pair bore into his eyes. Meeting them boldly, he held back a surprised gasp as he started to remember; a large cat demon in a village...that dog-turd Inuyasha fighting it...Kagome...and this demon! He remembered the monk had mentioned something about this white-haired demon while they had stood safely outside of the village. But what was it?

Sesshoumaru watched with mild amusement as many warring emotions ran across the wolf's face. The bright blue eyes slowly grew brighter until they suddenly lit up, having realized something.

"Hey! Your that dog-face's brother!"

Now he remembered. This had been the silent demon who had watched from the side, unmoving and even unblinking. Kouga himself had been mainly preoccupied with Kagome but he had detected the strong, masculine scent and had cast a few glances over at the white-haired demon. But he had then disappeared, fading silently from sight.

Now that he got a better look at him, Kouga was bemused to say the least, his words replaying in his head though they now made no sense to him.

_'**He** is dog-face's brother?'_

With the exception of the eye- and hair colour, the two were nothing alike. Inuyasha was a filthy, over eager, ragged-looking half-breed with a mouth fouler than a decomposing carcass and manners that no mother in the world could rectify.

This demon before him, however, was so different. The very air around him carried grace. His stance was straight and perfect. Obviously the silent type and as deadly as they come, his face held royalty and his eyes shone with intellect.

Sesshoumaru mentally raised a brow at this youkai's nickname for the half-breed. From what he had witness in that cat infested village it was quite obvious that both of them sought the attention of that girl, though he couldn't fathom why. But that was beside the point. His time, and patience, was running out.

"My relations are of no importance to you. Now tell me where I can find these trees."

"Oi, I don't trust you, okay? I came across dog-face and his friends a few days ago and they are also looking for the silver plum. How do I know the two of you aren't working together?"

He rarely showed emotions but the idea made him snort, though barely audible, eyes narrowed in disgust.

"I don't know what that half-breed seeks, neither do I care. Some coward has taken a possession of mine and I have traced their origin to these mountains."

Kouga still wasn't very convinced, but for some reason, he didn't continue to question the other. Had this youkai truly intended to bring harm upon his realm he would have done so already, and Kouga himself wouldn't still be standing either. Then again, this **_was_** dog-face's brother and he didn't trust that.

"You guessed right that that leaf came from these mountains. However, its tree itself is damn near impossible to find unless you are completely familiar with the terrain." Truth be told, the tree wasn't that reclusive, but he was trying to find a way to get this youkai out of his home. "All I can say is that it's to be found on the eastern slopes yet-- Hey, where do you think you are going?!" he interrupted himself when the dog youkai simply started to walk off.

The wolf's ramblings were moderately helpful but he had grown tired of the other's voice and presence. So much that he didn't even bother killing the wolf. His mind was yet again tempted when the other appeared before him.

"Call me protective, but do you honestly think I am just going to allow someone of your likes to wander around my home and people? As prince and leader of my people and ruler of these lands I have all right to say who does and doesn't step foot within these borders. You are an intruder and you can be executed for--HEY!!"

_'This is getting really old, really fast,'_ Kouga fumed as he watched the other youkai continue down the path. "What part of 'Get out' is not known to your vocabulary?"

When the white-haired demon didn't respond Kouga growled indignantly and lunged at him.

tbc............

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Yay! Cliff-hanger!

Read & Review, please.


	5. Alliance

Title: Searching his soul, finding his heart

Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine

Rating: R

Summary: see chapter one

Warning(s): see chapter one

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. Any and all unrecognizable characters belong solely to me. I am not making any money off of this and I write with the sole intention to entertain.

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Kouga scowled. True; he and his pack were not the most hygienically aware beings walking these lands. However, being covered in dust was not something he enjoyed very much. The accompanying bruises and scratches just added the final layer of insult.

"I know you are hurting! Don't pretend otherwise!" he shouted to the silent figure that walked some feet ahead of him.

The last battle had been somewhat more even since he knew a bit more of this youkai's fighting style. Emphasis on **_a bit_**.

Of course he hadn't caught the dog demon unaware with his lunge. If anything, the other had seemed to have been expecting it, pivoting and, using the wolf's momentum against him, send him crashing into a tree across the path. Down but far from out, he had focused all his wits and speed; something he rarely did as he had never had such an experienced opponent.

It had been with some satisfaction that he had caught the golden-eyed demon, slicing through a large sleeve to make a moderate groove in a bicep. The scent of blood drove them both to a more carnal nature. They had moved with such speed that they almost vanished from sight.

Kouga couldn't help smirking. No doubt the dog demon had never met an opponent who had lasted this long. Having felt a bit too confident, he had gifted the silent fighter with one of his most sneering smirks.

"Same old, same old! You are going to have to do better than that, **_dog_**! Guess none of you mutts is a match for a wolf!" he had shouted, just barely dodging a well-placed strike.

If the 'wolf' had had white hair and golden eyes Sesshoumaru would have sworn he had been fighting the half-breed; pompous, simple, and strategically blind.

_'What the...?'_ Kouga had thought when a clawed hand began to glow with green flames. _'That can't be good.' _

Deciding to end this before the White One gathered whatever freakish power he had, Kouga had began to charge, meaning to take this youkai out with a single blow. Blue eyes had widened to saucers when, with a hellacious hissing sound, a wide spray of something exploded from the clawed nails. His subconscious mind had shouted at him to duck, despite him not knowing what the liquid was. Dropping low, he had felt the draft of the spray fly over him, splattering on the trees behind him. Raising his head, he had grinned victoriously.

"Watcha trying to do? Drown me?"

The White One had remained silent and Kouga's smirk faded when a scent and a sound caught his senses. Looking behind him he could do nothing but watch as the liquid ate away the trees, burning their bark at astonishing rate. Smoke rose from the destroyed wood and the trees began to creak as they weakened. The scent of what could only be acidy poison actually made his eyes water.

"Oh shit..." he had breathed.

With a thunderous noise the trees had begun to fall, the acid having eaten the trunks completely. Had it not been for his agility Kouga would have been crushed as they came down on him. After many ducks, jumps and rolls, the last tree had fallen and he had stood safely away from the continuously melting heap. The wood turned to ash as the acid burnt it to a crisp. Acid that had been meant for him.

While he had been dodging for his life, the White One had simply walked off, gait as calm as always.

_'What type of dog demon has poison attacks?'_ Kouga kept asking himself.

For his part, Sesshoumaru had expected the wolf to survive the attack however he had also expected the insolent mongrel to take the obvious hint that he was growing tired of him and it was for his best interest if he just returned to whatever hole he had crawled out of.

"You are bleeding! I hurt you too!"

Sesshoumaru ignored the shout, though wondered just what exactly the wolf was trying to prove. So he had indeed managed to 'injure' the Lord of the West; did that make him think that he was someone of great achievements?

Kouga was frustrated. This guy was like a wall! Wasn't there something that would irk him?! At least dog-turd was...more...fun...

A wicked grin stretched across the wolf's handsome face. Ignoring his hurts, he placed his hands behind his head and sauntered over to walk next to the silent demon.

"How's it going?"

No response.

"Nice day to explore your family relations, isn't it?"

Again, silence. So far...

"So how does it feel to be related to a half-breed?"

Aha! A flash in the aurum eyes! But nothing else after that.

Frowning, Kouga dropped his hands to his hips.

"Must be pretty embarrassing. I mean, imagine what other, full-blooded youkai's must think of you."

This wolf was but two feet away from having his head removed from his body.

"Guess your mother ran out of good hormones, huh?" A soft growl went, unfortunately, unheard by Kouga and his next words were said without much thought. "Can't blame her; you probably took whatever energy the poor bitch had left--!!"

His feet were suddenly no longer on the ground, a clawed hand gripping his neck with such force he could barely breathe. Though even without the grip he wouldn't have been able to, seeing that his breath was taken away by the blood-red eyes that glared up at him with a look that dangerously bordered on insanity. Needle sharp canines that looked eager to bury themselves in his throat were revealed when the usually calm youkai spoke up, his deep voice now carrying a wild growl with each word.

"Keep your tongue to yourself unless you want to lose it."

His only response was a glare but he kept silent, wondering if the white-haired youkai was indeed planning on strangling him. At the very last few crucial moments he was released, landing on his feet though he rubbed his aggravated neck. Gasping for lost air, he felt a smile stretch across his face.

"Gotcha gasp at-attention, huh?"

Only two things on this earth irritated Sesshoumaru; the half-breed and Jaken. This wolf was quickly placing himself on that short list.

"Go away," he ordered.

"Excuse me?" Kouga snarled, planting himself in front of the other. "I don't think so. You forget; you're in **_my_** domain."

"And you are in my way."

"I can be anywhere I wanna be, got that?! This is my land and what I say goes and if anyone is going then it's you."

The wolf was correct, but the only reason he was in this scrap of forest was for his pup and he was not leaving without her.

Kouga could see the determinism in the oriental eyes and knew another fight was going to go down. Normally he would accept the challenge eagerly but he had to admit, albeit grudged, that this opponent was a more skilled fighter and simply stubborn.

"Alright, new approach," Kouga offered, crossing his arms before his armour. "I am Prince of the Mountain realm; you are, if I recall correctly, Lord of the Western lands, right?"

So far all other tactics had failed and his time was ever running on so Sesshoumaru surrendered his attention to the words.

"Then instead of fighting each other like idiots let's just reach an agreement."

"And what would that be?" he asked, deep voice not betraying his suspicion.

"You tell me what you are doing here and I'll tell you where you can find the specific Silver Plum tree you are looking for."

"My business here is none of your concern."

"Yeah, yeah," Kouga waved it off. "You said that before. However, you look like you really want to find…whatever it is. I really want you gone. See a connection somewhere between there?"

If he hadn't been a purebred Sesshoumaru would have pinched his nose bridge in exasperation but his upbringing had thought him otherwise. Lucky for him, assassination was considered acceptable by aforementioned upbringing. He'd tell the wolf what he needed to know, get the information **_he_** needed to know, and then, if the wolf didn't remove its flea-bitten hide from his sight, he'd kill it.

"A possession of mine was taken from me two nights ago, the thieves having used this branch of Silver Plum to intoxicate myself and my companions. Wherever this certain tree is found, my possession is there as well. And I will not leave this realm until I find it."

It was the most he'd heard this demon say in one go. Whatever this 'possession' was, it must be of real importance if it reduced a demon lord of such ranking to searching for the past days. Could it be a Shikon shard?

"Alright. Now my side: **_my_** domain, **_my _**clan, **_my _**responsibility. I really don't trust letting you prance around here unsupervised so this can go two ways: either **_I_** personally show you where this damn bush is, and then make sure to kick you icy ass out of my land, or you just tell me what the hell it is you're looking for and then stay on the border while me and my clan look for it."

Neither appealed to him one bit. He truly doubted he could stand any more time with this individual and the idea of putting distance between them sounded simply divine at the moment. However, if there was one person who was going to come to Rin's rescue it was him. The mere thought of her, after such an ordeal, in the paws of a group of raunchy wolves almost made him shiver. Then again, revealing a mere human child to be the object of intense search could prove a fatal blow to his reputation and pride.

No, Rin wasn't a 'mere human child'. She was **_his_** human child; his pup who he had come to protect and, yes, he dared admit it, love in one short month. His pup who looked up to him with so much adoration that one would think she believed him to be Buddha. His pup who didn't care for his powers and didn't fear his true nature; only that her Sesshoumaru-sama would allow her to sleep close to him and protect her in the nights.

How ironic; he used to be embarrassed of his father choosing a woman as his second mate. He used to scowl at the half-breed's travel companions (Granted, he used to scowl at the half-breed himself; and still did, for that matter). While he still didn't understand his father and half-brother's romantic and friendly commitment to humans, here he was taking care of a mortal child. Perhaps that was where he differed. The hanyou's friends were capable, by human standard, of taking care of themselves and Izayoi…well, she was doomed from the beginning but his father had loved her.

Rin was small and fragile. Too young to recognize things that only maturity and experience could teach. Until then, she was alone. Her family dead and her people shunning her, she had had no one else to turn to at such a vulnerable age. Perhaps it was this detail that made him want to protect her so much. That and her unexplainable lack of fear towards him which still intrigued him; he would make sure to one day learn exactly why she never saw him as the danger he truly was.

"Did you fall asleep on your feet or something?"

He had tolerated being related to that embarrassment of a hanyou for his father's sake, he'll tolerate being accompanied by this pestilence of a demon for his pup's sake.

"You will show me where it is."

Kouga blinked. He hadn't expected the proud demon to accept that offer. He was now even more curios than ever to discover what it was they were looking for.

"Fine then," he said, squaring his shoulders. A devilish thought crossed his mind and he grinned. "Follow me."

Before the other could respond, though Kouga sincerely doubted he would have, the wolf prince turned and in a burst of energy he hurtled away, leaving the other in the wake of his awesome speed.

Sesshoumaru watched the quickly fading wolf and, knowing he was completely alone, released the long-suffering sigh he had been holding for the past hour. With an almost bored expression, he too began to sprint, quickly gaining ground until the wolf was in view once more before slowing his speed in order to not pass him.

This was going to be a tiresome journey.

Glancing back, Kouga was admittedly surprised to see the white demon but a couple dozen yards behind him, keeping up just fine with what he thought would have been a gruelling pace. Hell, Hakaku and Ginta, who had been running after him for years, were still unable to keep up. Dog-face's brother certainly had more useful tricks up his sleeves.

This was going to be an interesting journey.

Tbc………….

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Izayoi: Inuyasha's mom. In case anyone doesn't know yet, she is finally named in the third Inuyasha movie (which SO kicks ass!! Sesshy and Inu fight on the same side!!...kinda)

Important!! Check out my bio-page for some big announcements!!

Read & Review, please.


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